Health

On June 29th, like so many in the path of the Derecho, my power went out around 10PM. For roughly two days. Almost immediately I felt an itchiness arising from my carpet. By Sunday, since my apartment faces West and catches the afternoon Sun, I sought shelter in a hotel, as the temperature in my unit was fast approaching 90 degrees. I'm originally from upstate New York. Growing up, Summer was six weeks. I don't do heat, let alone this!

When I swung by my abode Monday morning, I had power, so I checked out of my temporary digs. The A/C was on; the apartment was cooling; but the scratchiness remained.

Having clear and healthy boundaries in the workplace and at home will make your life easier. Boundaries are limits you set on how others treat you and behave around you. People will treat you and behave around you as you allow them. Even the most well intentioned friends and family can innocently “invade” boundaries you determine are needed. How are you at saying “no?” Here’s something to keep in mind…every time you say “yes” to something, you are saying “no” to yourself because no matter what it is you are taking time from your schedule. Whether it’s to relax, work, sleep, or whatever, the time and energy are being taken away from something that you would be doing if you didn’t say “yes”.

America is a country that loves to barbecue. In fact, according to the National Barbecue Association, the country can trace its barbecue roots at least as far back as George Washington, who documented hosting barbecue events in 1773. Since then, people across the nation have barbecued on a regular basis, most often during the summer months, especially around Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day. For those looking to make this tradition a little healthier, there are plenty of options.

“Many people are looking for ways to eat healthier today,” explains Shawn Davis, otherwise known as Chef Big Shake, the founder of CBS Foods and The Original Shrimp Burger. “The good news is that there are so many great ways to make healthier choices that you won’t be compromising. Small changes can pay off big.”

Here are 5 ways to help make a backyard barbecue healthier, this summer:

How we respond to situations might be called our thinking style. It is similar to the lens we look through to view the world. We each have our own lens to look through, and we therefore have different styles which color the way we interpret events. People look through their own lens and interpretations can vary greatly. In fact, research has shown that how we analyze the events in our lives has a great effect on our resilience. So what can we do to boost our resilience?

Drs. Revich and Shatte, authors of “The Resilience Factor,” write that it is “your thinking style that causes you to respond emotionally to events, so it’s your thinking style that determines your level of resilience – your ability to overcome, steer through, and bounce back when adversity strikes”.

Here are three ways the authors suggest to use your resilience:

1. Overcome: Take responsibility for creating what you want by putting behind you what isn’t working.

Vending machines have traditionally been notoriously known as a "junk food haven." For decades they have overflowed school campuses, business offices and shopping malls, giving customers convenient access to unhealthy foods. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there has been a dramatic increase in obesity rates over the last 20 years, for both adults and children. In fact, they report that one-third of the nation’s adults are considered obese, and 17 percent of children are as well. This has lead to a lot of parents to re-think things like snacking.